3 Japanesese whalers injured by Whale Wars Sea Shepherd protesters

Three crew members of a Japanese whaling vessel suffered face and eye injuries from acid fired by anti-whaling protesters during their latest clash in the Antarctic Ocean, their Japanese employers said Friday.

The Sea Shepherd protesters said they shot butyric acid, produced from stinking rancid butter, which they often aim at the whalers to try to disrupt the annual Japanese hunt. The activists maintain that butyric acid is nontoxic.

The injuries Thursday were the first to Japanese whalers this year during confrontations with Sea Shepherd, although there have been two ship collisions that each side blamed on the other.

Japanese Fisheries Minister Hirotaka Akamatsu lashed out at the activists on Friday, telling reporters: “I am full of rage. I could not believe they did such a thing.”

Glenn Inwood, spokesman for Japan’s Institute of Cetacean Research, which sponsors the hunt, said the injuries were not serious, but he cautioned that butyric acid can cause temporary blindness.

The injuries occurred during a several-hour confrontation between two Sea Shepherd boats – the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker – and four Japanese vessels.

Locky Maclean, first mate on the Steve Irwin, told The Associated Press that the Nisshin Maru, a whale processing ship, started the altercation when it turned its water cannons on the activists’ vessels.

This latest move by those who oppose whaling was outrageous.I have serious issues with any group using scare tactics to attempt to get their message across.In the USA there is a relatively popular show “Whale Wars” which documents in depth attempts to halt whaling.I think those involved with such efforts are cruel, hypocricts,and naive.Sure, seeing whales be harvested is is gruesome, and undoubtedly has impacts on the environment.However, the long term environmental effects are minute when compared to the factory farming of beef, chickens,eggs, and pigs.The ammount of feces produced on such farms,which is then kept in lagoons until emptied is incredible.These lagoons can overflow during times of flooding.The smell of such farms, as well as the number of flies near them is beyond description.It is common accepted agriculture practice for the livestock industry to use large ammounts of both antibiotics and hormones to reduce the time for an animal to reach market weight.The antibiotic use has been well documented in contributing to increasing numbers of resistant bacteria.All agriculture chemicals eventually become part of the water runoff, thus reaching rivers,and oceans.Runoff has been named as a definite source of marine pollution, contributing to algae blooms,ocean dead zones, and fish kills.If such groups care so much about the ocean, where are the protests against the chemicals being released into the sea??? These chemicals kill far more marine life than even the most efficient commercial fishing vessel does.How many of the members of the antiwhaling groups are vegans???? Bet they love a big, juicy steak as much as anyone else does.In my opion they target whaling because it is dramatic.They can be the heroes trying to save the whales from mindless killers.Give me a break.You care so much , protest, fight against the real issues including the massive floating trash islands.Until then, let people earn a living in peace and stop trying to use the environment as a way to get attention for yourself.

This latest move by those who oppose whaling was outrageous.I have serious issues with any group using scare tactics to attempt to get their message across.In the USA there is a relatively popular show “Whale Wars” which documents in depth attempts to halt whaling.I think those involved with such efforts are cruel, hypocricts,and naive.Sure, seeing whales be harvested is is gruesome, and undoubtedly has impacts on the environment.However, the long term environmental effects are minute when compared to the factory farming of beef, chickens,eggs, and pigs.The ammount of feces produced on such farms,which is then kept in lagoons until emptied is incredible.These lagoons can overflow during times of flooding.The smell of such farms, as well as the number of flies near them is beyond description.It is common accepted agriculture practice for the livestock industry to use large ammounts of both antibiotics and hormones to reduce the time for an animal to reach market weight.The antibiotic use has been well documented in contributing to increasing numbers of resistant bacteria.All agriculture chemicals eventually become part of the water runoff, thus reaching rivers,and oceans.Runoff has been named as a definite source of marine pollution, contributing to algae blooms,ocean dead zones, and fish kills.If such groups care so much about the ocean, where are the protests against the chemicals being released into the sea??? These chemicals kill far more marine life than even the most efficient commercial fishing vessel does.How many of the members of the antiwhaling groups are vegans???? Bet they love a big, juicy steak as much as anyone else does.In my opion they target whaling because it is dramatic.They can be the heroes trying to save the whales from mindless killers.Give me a break.You care so much , protest, fight against the real issues including the massive floating trash islands.Until then, let people earn a living in peace and stop trying to use the environment as a way to get attention for yourself.